-LRB- CNN -RRB- Iran 's judicial system believes in the ancient concept of `` an eye for an eye '' -- literally .

On Tuesday , a man convicted of blinding another man in an acid attack was himself forcibly blinded in one eye , according to Amnesty International and Tasnim News , a semi-official news website .

The punishment is believed to be Iran 's first case of Qasas , meaning retribution in kind , Tasnim News said .

Amnesty International denounced the sentence .

`` This punishment exposes the utter brutality of Iran 's justice system and underlines the Iranian authorities ' shocking disregard for basic humanity , '' said Raha Bahreini , Amnesty International 's Iran researcher . `` Meting out cruel and inhuman retribution punishments is not justice . Blinding , like stoning , amputation and flogging , is a form of corporal punishment prohibited by international law . Such punishments should not be carried out under any circumstances . ''

The acid attacker had been hired by the victim 's wife to throw acid in his face , Tasnim News said . Amnesty International said the attack occurred in 2009 in the city of Qom .

The defendant was blinded in his left eye at Rajai Shahr Prison , but the blinding of his right eye was postponed , Amnesty International said . The man was ordered to pay `` blood money '' and sentenced to 10 years in prison .

Amnesty International said punishment has been delayed for another Iranian man in a `` retribution in kind '' case . That man had been sentenced to be blinded and made deaf , Amnesty International said .

CNN 's Shirzad Bozorgmehr in Tehran and Elwyn Lopez in Atlanta contributed to this report .

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Iran 's judicial system blinded a man in his left eye on Tuesday , Amnesty International reported

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He had been convicted of putting acid on another man 's face , causing him to be blinded